It has been two and a half years since Tokyo’s Kurayamisaka released their debut mini-album Kimi Wo Omotte Iru and in that time, the buzz around them has grown pretty substantially, such that even international media like NME has taken notice. You might think that this attention would prompt them to make physical copies of the record just a little bit more available, but no – vinyl drops have been scarce and sell out instantly, occasionally reappearing on Discogs for hundreds of dollars… but I digress.
Perhaps the five-piece has been more focused on looking ahead than keeping their past in print, as they creep slowly towards their next release. They released two new songs back in 2023 with “Evergreen/Modify Youth”, one more last year in “Jitensha”, and last month released their first new track of 2025 in “Sekisei Inko”, a grungy pop stomp which translates to “parakeet”, if you were wondering.
Japanese magazine Digle interviewed the entire band, tracking their origins through to the release of the new song, including a Spotify playlist of their key influences – including more obvious Japanese acts like Asian Kung-Fu Generation and Number Girl, but also western ones like Muse and Heart. They also get into the nuts and bolts of writing the new song, with each member describing the considerations that went into their individual parts. Worth the Google Translate to read!
kurayamisaka が繋ぐ“憧れの連鎖”。オルタナロックシーンの新鋭バンドが次世代に贈る夢 @ Digle Magazine
Similar ground is covered in a feature piece in Rolling Stone Japan, including their thoughts on their growing international profile:
You were selected as one of the “100 New Artists to Watch Around the World” by the British music media, NME. How do you feel about that?
Shimizu: You don’t have any songs tied to anime, and you’re singing in Japanese, so it gave me courage. But I don’t really feel like it, I just wonder “where did they find you?” At one point, “kimi wo omotte iru” was in the top 10 of Rate Your Music (a music review site), but I don’t really know why it was there (laughs). The number of comments from overseas on YouTube is also increasing.
Naito: I’m also getting DMs from overseas on Instagram.
Shimizu: We’re also getting orders for LPs from overseas. Most of them are from Europe and the US, and I’m happy to see reactions from people in Asia.
Do you want to perform overseas?
Shimizu: When I saw Mass Dre (MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS) live, there were a lot of overseas customers in Japan, and the person next to me who was talking in English just a moment ago started singing along in Japanese when the song started. I admire that kind of excitement. In the rock genre, English is the mainstream, and the majority of Japanese people enjoy listening to English lyrics without understanding the meaning of the lyrics, so since I was in junior high school, I’ve always wondered, “Do people overseas feel the same way when they listen to Japanese lyrics?” However, in the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” that I saw when I was in high school, the main character plays the Italian version of “The Marriage of Figaro” in an American prison, and even though I don’t know what he’s singing, I’m fascinated by it. When I saw that scene, I was shocked that people in English-speaking countries can feel the same way, and I became convinced that music can be understood even if you don’t understand the language. That’s why I want to do a live performance overseas someday.
kurayamisakaインタビュー 日本のオルタナを世界へ、躍動する5人組の結成秘話 @ Rolling Stone Japan
And of interest to maybe just me, I happened upon a couple of Note entries from Kurayamisaka guitarist Ryuji Fukuda wherein he talks about his writing process for Kimi Wo Omotte Iru and his equipment at the time.
But back to the now, here’s the new song’s music video, a live reading, and a mandatory guitar cover from a YouTuber fan. At this point, it feels like news of a new record should be coming soon – or very soon – and hopefully with more than a handful of copies made available for sale!
